To The Future
by Raruku
Summary: Life continues for Jack and Ridley. A story of love and adventure and the future. Set after the non-human ending.
1. Chapter 1: A New Beginning

I've decided to come up with a fic for one of my most favourite games. RADIATA STORIES. I've replayed over and over again and can't get enough. So, here's my fic. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Radiata Stories belongs to Square-Enix and tri-Ace. Thank them for such a wonderful game.

CHAPTER I: A New Beginning

The battle was an arduous one. Jack was absolutely tired but he thought to himself that he should carry one. Here beside him was Ridley almost as badly wounded as he was but that didn't matter. They had defeated Aphelion and Quasar was dead. It was all worth it… but the death of Ganz was still a burden on Jack. He did not expect him to be there. The former Captain was one of his most loved friends. He began to sob as he recalled Ganz's last words.

"Jack?" Ridley wondered why he was sobbing. "I can't believe he's gone… the captain." Ridley knew what Jack felt. She too had been saddened by the loss of Ganz.

"We can't be like this, Jack. He would have wanted us to go on with our lives."

They continued to walk, their hearts heavy with emotions. Sadness and happiness all at the same time, tears streaming down their faces. But as the night loomed on, so did the structure that was Radiata Castle as it rose above all the others. They had arrived at Lupus Gate and the castle awaited their return. Walking along the town that night, it was quite lonely. All the inhabitants of the city were asleep in their homes. Even the guards that usually patrolled at night weren't in sight. They were probably at the castle.

Finally arriving at the gate, they saw the familiar guard who always kept watch. The guard was startled by the appearance of the two.

"L-lady Ridley! You have returned to Radiata!" the guard scurried off into the castle. Minutes later, he came back accompanied by a familiar face.

"Ridley. Jack. I see you have returned to us." Lord Larks held open his arms, welcoming them as he approached. "But you do know that you have been branded as traitors, correct?"

"Yes, Lord Larks. But it's all over now." said Ridley. "Yup. It's all done now." Jack scratched his head, an old habit he kept.

"I see." Larks scanned the twos bodies and saw their injuries. "Escort these two to the infirmary. Bring some hot food and watch them for the night. Inform me if anything happens." with that Larks left the Jack and Ridley along with the guard.

After that, they were escorted to the infirmary where they were attended to. Their wounds were being treated and they were fed until they were satisfied but the meal didn't seem to appealing at the moment. Despite emerging victorious from the now won battle, they were still unsure of what would happen. How would they continue to live on… and what of the fairy creatures? Lord Zane was still alive and still held Fort Helencia. Surely there would be an attack any time and with the fort so close, who knows what could happen.

Jack never thought of things so seriously before, he had always been a happy-go-lucky boy. But this time, the thoughts came to him, flooding him with more than he could handle. Eventually, his eyelids grew heavy and began to droop down, adding to his drowsiness and whisking him off to sleep.

When morning rolled in, Jack woke up as lively as ever, as if everything had just been washed away. His body was light and the pain from the wounds had already gone. Looking to his side, he no longer found Ridley lying on the bed. Instead, he found a note.

"_Dear Jack,_

_If you are reading this then please do not worry about me. I'm just going about with business in the castle._

_You can go out to the town if you like, just try to avoid doing anything stupid._

_Yours truly, Ridley"_

Putting the note aside, Jack plopped back into bed. He had hoped to rest just a bit more but he was then startled by an all too familiar voice.

"I see you're up, monkey brain." Jack saw that it was Al, the castle steward. He remembered how constantly annoying the guy was.

"Yeah, I miss you too, Al." Jack was sarcastic. Al was not pleased, however. "Yes, yes, I'm sure. But please, clear the infirmary immediately. We wouldn't want you loitering about the castle, now would we?" Al got Jack off the bed and began to push behind him. Jack could have sworn that Al was getting rid of him.

This lasted until they had reached the castle gate leading to the Yellow Town. It was there that Al shoved Jack a final time before taking his leave back into the castle.

"That guy really bugs me!" Jack said to himself, frustrated with Al.

He looked down the path into the town, the familiar one that he knew led down to Theater Vancoor. Thinking about it, since he left, everybody in the guild was after him. He remembered that when he was venturing about and going on errands for the fairy creatures that he would see them roaming about the country sides, patrolling for him or any enemies. What would happen if he returned now? Would he be an outcast, hated by the guild? Or would it all be a thing of the past and they'd welcome him once more? Jack was not a knight, he had no other place to go and the castle always made him feel so small, so aware of how little he meant to the world, to Radiata. Even though he had actually saved everyone, no one knew of his heroic feats. No one would celebrate his name. Mustering some courage, he began to move down the steps and into the town.

Here he stood now in front of Theater Vancoor. He didn't want to draw too much attention so instead of taking the main door, he went around to the side and took the back entrance. Luckily, no one was walking about the corridors when he came in. He saw the stairs and took them up to the fourth floor. There was one purpose why he came here. He wanted to see the chief. He recalled their battle. It was a long one but in the end he did manage to defeat her. But he got lucky, he was not nearly skilled enough to even be on par with her.

Standing before the familiar single door on the final floor, he hesitated to knock. Usually, the chief was down in the sewers at the altar. Biting his lip, he knocked on the door. There was no answer. He curled his hands into fists and pounded harder. A voice answered back.

"Come in." Elwen spoke back.

Jack came in slowly. He expected her to be surprised with his sudden return but she did not give him the satisfaction. Elwen was never one to be surprised by such things. She merely stayed at her desk, unfazed by Jack.

"You have returned, Jack Russell." her voice devoid of emotion. "Yeah, chief." he replied. "I'm back."

"If I'm still here, then this means that the Gold Dragon Quasar lies dead." "Yes. The Gold Dragon has died along with Aphelion."

"You know, chief, I was kinda hoping to get my job back." Elwen laughed. "Really now, Jack? You are a traitor to Radiata. You left the kingdom and fought alongside the fairy creatures in the war. Did you expect that you could just come waltzing back in and that everything would be fine?"

Elwen stood from her seat and drew the Avcoor before Jack's face, pointing it at him. "You, Jack Russell, defeat me." she stood steady.

"Why? I don't see a reason why I should fight you, chief." she shook her head. "Show me your strength, Jack. Do you remember what strength is?"

"True strength is when you fight to protect another." he repeated her words. "Yes, Jack. If you manage to defeat me, then I will not question why you left." she left the room and headed for the training ground. Jack followed.

"Draw your sword." she commanded him. "Fine. I'll defeat you!" she laughed again. "Maybe, Jack. Just maybe."

Elwen quickly struck. Her blow was fast, almost invisible but Jack managed to dodge it. He lunged at her but she merely stepped aside. He attacked, swinging his sword to the left but Elwen blocked it with her sword without as much as much effort as needed. She pushed his blade away and went on the offensive again. Swinging down, she hit the ground and made small bits of rubble fly upward. Jack dodged it by jumping back but landed on his butt. Elwen quickly lunged towards him, taking the opportunity of his fall. Jack rolled away when she came close and crashed into the wall. Quickly getting up, he anticipated another attack. Quicker than before, she lashed out and sent Jack's sword flying clean out of his hands. It landed only a few feet away. Jack took a quick look at it and wondered if he could get to it. He jumped for it and landed on the floor. Grabbing the hilt, he managed to block just in time before a downward swing hit him. Elwen stood in front of him, overpowering him. He tried to resist, putting every ounce of strength in his arms to just hold her off. Thinking quickly, Jack let up on his hold and rolled out of the stalemate, making Elwen lose her balance. Seeing an opportunity, Jack got up and swung his sword as hard as he could. His blow connected and landed on her sword, flinging it into the air. Elwen was dazed by the sudden attack and loss of her weapon. Jack then pointed the tip of his sword to her neck.

"I won, chief." he said, lowering his sword. "It appears that you have grown, Jack." Elwen walked over to her fallen sword. "And you have earned my trust."

"Yeah. But that still won't clean me of my deeds." Elwen placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, Jack, it won't. But you did what you had to do. You acted on what you thought was right." she patted him on the shoulder and walked through the door and back into the building.

Jack followed soon after and went down to the first floor. There, he saw the usual Thanos lazing about at the front desk.

"Hey there kiddo. Heard you beat the chief." said Thanos, lazy as always. "Yup. Say, is my room still vacant?" Thanos scratched his head. "Well, yeah. A bit messy though."

Jack nodded in affirmation to Thanos and left the guild. He walked down the familiar path and wound up at his lodging. When he went inside, he saw that it had not changed that much. It was a bit dusty but then again, Jack never bothered to clean his room anyway. Some of his stuff was still littered about the room. He sat on his bed and placed his sword in his lap. He held up the Arbitrator and gazed upon it, his eyes gleaming with worry.

"Did I do the right thing… dad?" Jack touched his father's sword with his hand, feeling the cold steel. Setting his sword aside, he set himself on his bed and fell asleep. He was weary from the fight with the chief and he wanted to rest.

The next day, Jack woke up to a good start. He stretched on the bridge above his room, getting his joints to loosen up. The old faces that usually came by at that time shot him strange looks but nobody did anything to him. After his stretching activities, he went back to the guild, this time using the front door. He was then greeted by a surprised Thanos.

"Hey there. Kinda awkward but I guess I gotta call you chief now." Thanos scratched his head. "What are you talking about? Did you finally lose your mind or something?" Jack wondered what Thanos was talking about.

"Oh, I forgot. This is for you. The chief left it." he brought out a small letter from his desk. Jack walked over to get it. Opening it, he read Elwen's familiar penmanship.

'_To Jack Russel,_

_It has been a long time since I have witnessed one such as you, Jack. When you first joined this guild you were nothing more than an eager child._

_But over the course of your stay with us, you have grown little by little. You showed that you were more than just another warrior, but a strong one with a heart._

_And then on one night, you made the largest choice in your entire life and that was to do what you thought was right._

_I remember when we fought at the end of the world and how you stated that you fought to protect something. That is true strength, Jack._

_And once again, you have bested my in combat using the same strength. You have fought to protect what you believe in, Jack and there is no other greater form of power._

_I have lived a long time, Jack. But over the course of that time I have forgotten what true strength is. I once loved a man and still do and did everything in my power to continue on his_

_legacy. But now, I see that I have forgotten what it I was truly supposed to do._

_If you are reading this then it means that I have already left on a new journey, a journey that I hope will help me realize what it means to have true strength._

_This is my parting gift to you, Jack Russell._

_You are now chief of Theater Vancoor. Live long and prosper, Jack._

_One day, I will return and I look forward to seeing how you will have grown._

_Until we meet again._

_Elwen.'_

"I'm the new chief!" Jack jumped a bit. "Looks like it. Now get your ass up to your office. Deputy Gerald will fill you in." Thanos pointed to the stairs.

Jack rushed to his office and like Thanos said, Gerald was waiting inside.

"I dunno what the chief was thinking but hey, it's what she said." said Gerald as he saw Jack enter the room. "What exactly do I do as chief?"

Gerald cleared his throat. "Simple. You just have to run the guild as you see fit. There's paper work from time to time but it's nothing you can't handle."

"Is that it?" Jack responded. "If anything big does come up, then you have to make the decisions. Hey, if Jarvis can run a squad I'm sure you can handle this."

Gerald laughed as he left Jack in the room. Jack looked over to Elwen's desk and sat in the chair behind it.

"I won't let you down, chief." he slumped into the chair more. "I can't wait to tell Ridley!" he happily exclaimed.

From now on, things would be different for Jack. He was now chief of Theater Vancoor. Life would continue from now on.

There you go, my first Radiata Stories fic. R&R people! I want to see some reviews! I don't care if you want to yell at me or anything, send it in.

Anyway, I hope you liked it and look forward to chapter 2. It'll be up soon. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Learning

Now that I look back on it, I haven't played RS in about 2 years. But who cares? I still love the damn game!

DISCLAIMER: From here onwards, check the 1st chapter for it.

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CHAPTER II: Memories

Jack was in his office that morning with some paperwork on his desk. Looking at it, he read about issues concerning some new requests that the townspeople made. Looking through all of them, he took his feather pen and approved the ones that seemed to be of average quality and didn't seem too dangerous. A while later, Thanos came up and whisked the signed forms away. Before Thanos left, he gave a letter to Jack. Turning it over, Jack read that it was from the castle. Opening it, he saw Lark's writing.

'_To the leader of the warrior guild,_

_I am Salute Larks, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Radiata. I humbly request that you report to the castle for some urgent business._

_If possible, I would like to meet as soon as you finish reading this letter._

_Show the letter to the guard and he will escort you to my office._

_My sincerest thanks._

_Salute Larks, Prime Minister of Radiata.'_

Jack placed the letter back in the envelope and seeing that it was rather urgent, he left his office and made his way down the stairs. When he got down to the first floor, he saw Jarvis at the counter and like always, complaining about why there were so little jobs for him to do with Daniel. Jack passed by and was called out by Jarvis.

"Hey Jack—I mean, chief!" Jarvis quickly readdressed him. "What is it?" Jack asked. "Uh, I was just wondering if there were any better quests that the Hecton squad could do." there was a look of want in Jarvis' eyes. "Fine." Jack looked over to Thanos. "Give them Dwight's request." he told Thanos. "The one on a few Smiledons?" Jack nodded. "Thank you, sir!" Jarvis thanked him and rushed downstairs.

Leaving it at that, Jack left the guild and made his way to the castle. Reaching the gates, he saw the usual guards, one standing still and the other patrolling around the castle. Walking up to the stationary one, he was stopped. "I'm here to see Lord Larks." Jack presented the letter. The guard read it. "Okay. Come with me, please."

Jack entered the castle and was lead to the door of Lord Larks' room. The guard then left him to his own business and hurried down the corridor. Knocking on it, Jack awaited a reply. "Enter."

Jack walked in and saw Lord Larks at his desk, ready for the meeting. Lord Larks however, was surprised at Jack.

"Jack Russell?" he wondered. "Why are you here? Where is Lady Elwen?" Larks asked. "Oh, I'm the new chief now." he pointed to himself. "Is that so?" Larks was in thought. "This is certainly strange." he finished.

"Well then, please have a seat." Larks motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "I have summoned you to discuss about some of the requests that we want done." Larks brought out some papers.

"These affairs are from some of the people in the castle. I assume you already know the mechanics on how things work?" Larks asked Jack. "Yeah. They're basically like other requests. They just get a bit more priority." Jack replied with ease. "That is good then. Some of these are official Royal Radiata Knights business so we request that you lend us some of your warriors." "Yes sir!" Jack saluted to Larks. "Very good. And I see you are as energetic as always." Larks handed the papers to Jack. "You may leave now. Thank you for coming." Jack bowed to Lord Larks and left the room.

Standing in the corridor, a thought came to Jack. He thought about Ridley. He was in the castle and maybe he should go pay Ridley a little visit. But then again, he thought that maybe he shouldn't loiter around the castle. Making up his mind, Jack decided to pay Ridley a visit. Making his way down the familiar stairways and corridors, he arrived in front of Ridley's room. Knocking on the door, a reply came.

Jack entered and saw Ridley with her back to him. "What is it?" she didn't seem to know it was him. "Hey. It's me." Ridley was surprised at the voice and turned around. "Jack!" she moved towards him.

"Hey. I was here for some business and decided to come say hi." Jack smiled. "Business? What could you be doing in the castle? Aren't you a warrior from the guild?" Jack shook his head.

"No. Not just a warrior, I'm chief of the guild!" he pointed to himself, posing like a superhero. "Really now?" Ridley seemed to not believe him. "Whatever you say Jack." she added.

"Hey, um, I missed you." Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. Ridley blushed slightly and swatted his hand away. "Um, I , yeah." she was short on words. "Anyway, that's all. I gotta get going now. Bye." Jack waved a small farewell and rushed out the door. "Jack, wait!" Ridley ran after him but once she got out the door, he was no longer there. "Why is the little critter always so fast?"

Walking out of the castle, Jack let out a faint sigh and slumped down a bit. He was a bit frustrated wit himself at his own lack of words, at how he just up and left without as much as talking about any non-senseless topic with Ridley. This was a chance for them to catch-up on things, even though it had just been a day or two, but still, a chance for them to talk about what they wanted in life. But no, he chose the easy way and left. Jack regretted his decision. Picking himself up from his state of minor depression, he walked back to the guild bringing with him the paperwork and requests.

Upon returning, Thanos saw the papers he brought with him. "Hey chief, I can take those for ya." Thanos said placing his hand out. "Sure. Let me look at some of these first." Jack replied.

After looking over some of the requests, he found one which piqued his interest. "These others are fine. I'll be personally taking this though." he raised the paper to Thanos.

"No prob. But what is it?" Thanos asked. "Official business from the castle." he hid the paper in his pockets. "You know, knights ask us for help and all." Thanos just nodded in reply an Jack went up the stairs and into his office.

There, he thought about the paper in his pocket, took it out and read it again. It brought about a nostalgic feeling. His first mission as a night, as he recalled, was like this, an escort mission. Remembering it, Clive's face popped up, making him laugh. Small tears began to run down his cheek as memories of his captain came back to him… and Ridley. Those were the good times, some of the best times of his life were in the brigade. Even though they were only together for such a short time, Jack felt right at home in the knights, it was his dream since childhood. But he could do nothing about that now, he accepted that he and Ridley were just too different to be together again. She was the daughter of old red nose and he was the son of a former celebrated knight who barely managed to win the trials and only got in because of his father's name. Jack realized that now and wanted to prove himself. But even so, he knew that it would take time and that he had to work hard to achieve his dreams.

After organizing some stuff in his office, Jack went down to the counter where Thanos was. He pulled out the paper he had with him and gave it to Thanos.

"I've signed on it. Just handle the other stuff, ok?" Thanos gave a small smile. "Sure, boss. Good luck out there." leaving with a goodbye, Jack left the guild and returned to his room. Falling asleep as he hit the mattress, h dreamt about the Rose Cochon Brigade and everything he went through. That was all that remained now, a dream.

That morning, Jack woke up to a start, hyper as always. He ran to the guild, slammed through the front door, startling a drowsy Thanos and making Rolec fall flat on his butt. Walking in a stupid fashion, he approached the counter.

"Today's that day for the job, right?" Thanos pulled his face away from Jack's. "Yeah. Uh, you better go the Lupus gate now." Thanos was shooing his boss.

Full of energy and just wanting to go on an adventure again, Jack left and made his way to the really near gate. It hadn't opened yet and the guards were just doing their final inspection before opening the gate. Standing there and leaning against the wall, Jack was approached by two young people, a male and a female.

"Is this the guy? He looks a bit stupid." said the male to the female. "I know, right?" she nodded. "I mean, he's just a kid. Look at him." the girl sneered.

Jack was trying his best not to get annoyed. _'Who are these little rascals' _thought Jack. He didn't even bother to look at them once they started uttering those little comments. After a minute of them talking about him in a not so good manner, he turned around with gritted teeth. "Alright you little—" Jack cut his retort and was stunned.

The two before him were actually wearing trainee knight outfits and were shorter than him. "What the!" his eyes widened. "You're the knights I'm going with!" he pointed at them.

"It's rude to point." the girl slapped his hand away. Shaking himself awake from his current state, Jack composed himself.

"Alright. Judging by your looks, you're trainees. Where's your captain?" he looked around. "She's just getting here. Should be here in a few more minutes." replied the shorter male.

'_She? Must be Natalie… or did Nina get promoted?' _were Jack's thoughts. "Anyway, what are your names? I need to know what to call you." he asked.

"I'm Mise. Mise Blanche." said the male. "I'm Lena Marsfeld. Nice to meet you." the girl shook Jack's hand. "Those are good names. You'll make it big in the nights." Jack amused them.

"BRIGADE STAND AT ATTENTION!" a command echoed from afar. All three of them stood still with their heads raised to the sky. The sound of metal plated boots came closer.

"JACK!" Jack broke from his steadiness and saw a woman clad in armor. "No. It can't be…?" Jack spoke to himself. "RIDLEY!" Jack ran to her, his arms wide open to embrace her with.

Just before he got near enough to hug her, Ridley punched him flat in the face, sending him flying and landing on his butt. "What was that for!" Jack complained.

Ridley walked near him and kneeled down, whispering into his ear. "Yes. I'm happy to see you, too but I can't act like that in front of them. I'm a knight captain, remember?" Ridley finished and offered a hand to Jack. She helped him up. Jack dusted his behind.

"It's good to see you, Jack." Ridley looked to her young recruits. "This is Jack Russell. A former knight and good friend of mine." Jack waved at them although they already knew each other.

"Now, where is the leader of the warrior guild?" Ridley asked her trainees. "Um, he's already here." said Mise. "Where? I don't see." Ridley looked around.

"Hello? I'm right here!" Jack pointed to his own face, waving at Ridley. "Enough fun and games, Jack. I have a mission to do." Ridley pushed his face away.

"SERIOUSLY! I'M RIGHT HERE!" Jack yelled out to her. Her recruits nodded when she looked. "You mean to tell me that Jack is the leader of the warrior guild?" Jack nodded profusely.

"So you really weren't making stuff up when we last saw each other." Ridley crossed her arms. "Of course I wasn't. See, they can vouch for me as well as any other warrior." replied Jack.

"Then I guess this will be a fun mission." Ridley smiled at him. "So, you two know each other quite well, then?" asked Lena. "Yes. We did and we still do." replied Ridley and Jack in unison. They looked at each other and laughed.

"So, what's the mission?" asked Jack. "We are to deliver a message to Earth Valley." Jack's eyes filled with interest. "To the dwarves? Aren't they still steamed at us?" Jack raised a brow.

"That is why we're trying to establish peaceful ties again. That is the purpose of this mission and this message." Ridley presented an envelope.

"This brings back memories, right?" Jack asked. "Yeah. This does." replied the blonde vixen. "Better get going then!" Jack was ecstatic.

Radiata Lupus gate began to open as the sun flew high into the sky above them. Jack had a good feeling about this mission. It was indeed a good time to catch up and talk to Ridley. Another adventure waited as the four of them walked out the gate and into the world.

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R&R people. This is the 2nd chapter in my fic and I hoped you liked it. I'm working on the 3rd one so please bare with me. I hope you really enjoyed this and continue to read on!

Thanks a bunch, guys!

Raruku out~


	3. Chapter 3: Sudden Actions

It's nearing July and God Eater is coming out in ENGLISH! Whoopdeedoo~

Chapter III: Sudden Actions

The landscape hadn't changed since the last time Jack and Ridley traversed these paths. The only thing that seemed different was the two recruits behind them. From where they walked, you could gaze out into the wide horizon and see a sea of green which eventually met up with the blue sky that hung above. It was a great day and the journey was going well. So far so good, nothing had popped out to bother them. Although there were the occasional beasts that blocked the path here and there, it wasn't anything Jack or Ridley couldn't handle. The recruits on the other hand were still a bit too fresh to these things and Mise ended up running around when a bat stuck onto his tunic, flailing his sword around and yelling like a little kid. Lena merely laughed at him but froze when an ant came up to her and spat some sticky liquid onto her boots.

The familiar ledge came into view and from it, they could now see the home of the dwarves, Earth Valley. Mise and Lena stared at it in amazement much like Jack when he first visited the nice little place. _'It's like a theme park!' _the words popped up in Jack's mind, a memory as he gazed at Earth Valley. Making their way down the path that led down, they found two guards at the door.

"Halt! Who goes there?" a husky voice from one of the guards came. "Wait a second… I think I remember you." said the same guard.

"You're Grigory, right?" Jack recalled the name. "Why… Jack? Is that you?" Grigory rubbed his eyes. "Yup. It's me. Ridley's here, too!" Jack began to do his little dance.

"Ah, my eyes must be going." said Grigory. "Yeah. It's either that or you're still drunk." Jack laughed and Grigory joined in. "So, what business might you have with us dwarves?"

"We bring this letter from the kingdom of Radiata." Ridley presented an envelope. "We wish for peace between our races."

"I think not!" replied Grigory. "Despite the fact that you two are still on good ties with us, it does not mean that we accept your kind as we have you." Jack looked down at Grigory with a look of wonder.

"But why? The war is over, right?" he held out his arms in declaration. "Yes, my lad, it is. But we dwarves are entitled to our own opinion. Humans are too dangerous for us." Grigory shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Jack. But we cannot just accept. We need time to think… a hell lot of it. It was good to see you, though." Grigory placed out his hand, offering a handshake to Jack. Taking the notion, Jack returned the gesture of friendship.

"Goodbye Jack and Ridley. May the Earth Dragon always smile down upon you."

After their goodbye, the four of them went back up the slope with glum looks. Their mission was to deliver a simple letter and hope that it would be taken as a sign of good will but in the end, it was pushed away and the wish for peace was denied. After all, humans did attack the dwarves, enslaving them in their own home and forcing them to work their own mines to fuel the human war machine. Indeed, the dwarves were right to suspect humans and to severe the ties, the trust that had existed only a short while back has faded to nothing.

With a heavy look on his face, Jack turned to Ridley. "What now? Wasn't the mission to give them the letter?" asked Jack. "Yes. But what can we do? They don't trust us." replied Ridley.

Mise, seeing the tension, walked ahead of the group and turned on his heel. Holding his arms out, he cheered them on.

"Come on everybody! We can't get down because of one little loss!" Mise smiled and walked over to Lena. "Right, Lena? Cheer up!" he turned back to his captain and Jack.

"He has a point, you know." said Lena. "One little failure isn't that big of an issue." she finished. Ridley didn't agree with her. "This isn't just one little mission, Lena." Ridley walked towards the patch of green grass along the road and sat herself down. "Establishing peaceful ties with them is a very important matter." she placed a hand on her face. "This chance may not come again."

Jack walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it'll all work out. Come on, cheer up!" Jack smiled at her. "Jack… you always how to make me smile." she smiled back.

Mise and Lena just stared at them, shrugging their shoulders as they watched. "What's with those two?" asked Mise. "Beats me, I'm pretty sure Jack's a dimwit, though." replied Lena.

Jack extended his hand out to Ridley and she grabbed it with delight. Looking back at the trainees behind them, Jack gave them a smile. "Come on! Let's go home!" Jack marched forward in that stiff manner he usually does.

"See?" said Lena. "Told you he was a dimwit." she added.

The trip back wasn't so long as the one it took to get to Earth Valley and just when the sun was about to set, they had already arrived back at Radiata. Entering through Lupus gate, a few steps forward and they all stood in front of the Theater Vancoor.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Jack." a sad look presented on Ridley's face. "Hey, don't be sad. You can come visit me anytime. I'm still in that room you went to last time." Jack approached the door and gripped the knob. "Well, see ya!" he waved a final time and went into the building.

"Jack…" said Ridley in an inaudible tone. She turned to her recruits, the seriousness back in her expression. "Alright. Let's report to Lord Larks." she said and they walked towards the castle.

Meanwhile, inside the warrior guild, Jack was sitting at the small table in the lobby. Thanos was staring at him with a weird expression, wondering why the hell Jack seemed to be so out of reality. Jack looked as if everything was non-existent and didn't notice anything else; he was also smiling so widely that you would think he was insane.

"Um, chief?" Thanos tried to get his attention. "I'm glad she's back to her old self again." Jack said to himself. "Chief?" Thanos tried again. "I wonder if we'll get to work together on more missions?" Jack wondered to himself. "CHIEF!" Thanos was yelling now. "I miss her already…" Jack looked depressed. "CHIEF! ARE YOU LISTENING!" Thanos yelled once more.

Jack turned to him, still smiling. "Oh, hi Thanos. What is it?" he asked. "What is it! I've been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes! HERE! Take your pay!" Thanos dropped a bag onto the counter. It made a large clang sound as it hit the wood.

"Whoa!" Jack jumped in his seat. "THAT much?" Jack was amazed at the amount. "Yeah. I'm surprised myself. There's a note here, too." Thanos brought out a small envelope and walked over to the table, placing it down in front of Jack. With eagerness, Jack tore open the paper and read the message inside.

'_Dear Jack,_

_This is for you, Jack Russell, new leader of the warrior guild._

_I congratulate you on reaching such a position and I hope you continue to offer us your services._

_Thank you and I hope to we benefit from this partnership._

_P.S_

_This is a little added bonus to your pay_

_._

_Prime Minister of Radiata,_

_Salute Larks'_

Jack's eyes brightened as he peered into the heavy bag and saw what really a big amount there was. This was the most amount of Dagols that he had ever made in his entire career as a warrior. After gawking for a minute or so at the money, he tied the bag up and turned to Thanos.

"Hey. Are there any other things I have to know about?" he asked. "Nope. You're free to do what you want now."

Standing up with some energy, Jack rushed out the door and out into the streets, his prize hanging from his shoulder as he carried it. As Jack ran out the door, he was so happy that he kept his eyes shut and just then, WHAM! Jack fell onto the street, his butt connecting with the hard ground.

"Ouch…" Jack looked before him and beheld another unexpected sight. "RIDLEY!" Ridley was like him, on the ground. "Watch where you're going, Jack." she said as she stood up.

Jack stood as well, rubbing his behind to try and ease the pain. "Wait a minute, what are you doing here?" he asked as he scanned her from top to bottom. "Hey, you're not wearing your knight armor." Ridley raised a brow at him. "No duh, genius. That would draw too much attention."

Walking over to the nearby low wall, Jack took a seat and Ridley as well.

"What brings you out here? Don't you have a report to do?" he asked. "It's done. Lord Larks wasn't so much into the details this time." she replied.

"Well, I'm surprised your dad even let you out." he said with hesitation. "Please. I can do what I want." Ridley was always touchy about topics concerning her doting daddy.

"I didn't mean it like that." Jack heard his own stomach grumble. "Uhh, I guess I haven't eaten yet." Jack shook the money bag. "Well, I know where this money's going!" he smiled.

"Hey, why don't we have dinner?" he asked suddenly. "Wha-? J-jack?" Ridley blushed slightly. "I'm gonne go eat and I think you haven't had dinner as well. You haven't, right?"

"Umm… no, not yet." Ridley looked down to the ground as she triedto hide her red cheeks. "It's settled then! We're going to go have some dinner!" Jack jumped for joy. "I know this nice place in town. It just opened up so it's not really that popular but I always wanted to try it there."

The sky was already a nice blend of yellow and red and the far-off horizon was already beginning to turn to the calming dark of night when the two went off to find the new restaurant Jack knew about. A few minutes later, they arrived at Blue Town where Jack led Ridley down a few narrow paths and finally arriving at a nicely decorated building. Looking at it, Ridley found out why it wasn't so well-known. It was hidden behind other buildings so nobody could really notice it when they passed by.

"A friend of mine own this place. The food is good, though." Jack opened the door and a chime rang out. "Welcome. Table for how many?" the familiar girl said. "Hi there, Yuri. 2 please."

Yuri smiled as she saw Jack but turned her expression into a scowl when she laid eyes on Ridley. "Jack. Who is this?" she said with a cold tone. "Oh, she's a friend of mine." Jack replied to Yuri.

They were then led to a table near a corner. Once seated, they were given their menus. Looking around and not at her menu, Ridley noticed the place was actually filled with people.

"Hmm… I'll get the Steak." Jack picked out his desired dish and looked to Ridley. "What are you having?" Jack asked. Ridley was still searching the menu for something to eat.

"I think I'll try the… Gobpakken Salad." Ridley said with a bit of hesitation. Yuri wrote down their orders then happily strolled to the counter.

A while later, the food they ordered had arrived, still steaming hot. One could see the smoke still rising from it and Jack drooling for it! After it was placed down onto the table, Jack readied himself for a small feast but noticed that Ridley wasn't touching her food at all. Placing his utensils aside, Jack talked to her.

"Hey. What's wrong?" he placed his hand on hers. "Uh, i-it's nothing." she quickly pulled her hand away. "What? Can't I touch your hand?" Ridley shook her head. "N-no. It's not that…"

A look of worry presented itself onto Jack's face. "It's just that… this was so sudden, Jack." Jack chuckled. "Are you worried about money? Don't worry, I got a load!" he smiled.

"No. It's… I'm happy." said Ridley. "I'm really happy like this." she added . "And…" she hesitated. "I… I… I like you… Jack." Jack tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy dog. "Uh, I like you, too." Ridley's expression brightened. "Really?" she asked. "Yeah, we are friends. I like all my friends!" he raised his arms in proclamation.

Ridley's head drooped down slowly, as if she was crushed from the inside. Picking up her cutlery, she quickly devoured her meal. "Wow! I thought I was hungry but look at you!" said Jack.

After the meal, Jack left behind the pay and they left the place. It was silent during the whole walk, awkward for Ridley but Jack still yapped on. Reaching the place near the castle, they could see the usual guard at the gate. Ridley finally spoke once again.

"Jack. I need you to get this through that thick skull of yours." a tone of seriousness in her voice. "What?" he asked. "I like you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Jack smiled. "Yeah. I like it when my friends like me." Ridley curled her hand into a fist, trembling with a bit of anger. "Jack. If I don't make this clear, you're never going to get it cause you're as dense as a forest."

"What? I already told you I liked you. Isn't that good?" Jack wondered why she was getting so worked up about the topic. "Damn it, Jack! Do I need to do everything myself!"

With her quickness, Ridley left Jack fazed as her hands quickly grabbed his head. Pulling him into a kiss, it lasted for a few seconds before Ridley pulled out of it.

"Get it now." Ridley was blushing heavily. "W-w-what was that for!" Jack blushed greatly as well.

"Goodnight, Jack." Ridley turned on her heel and ran into the castle, leaving Jack stunned and staring at the vanishing figure.

"Ridley…" Jack placed his fingers onto his lips as he tried to recall the sweet taste of her lips. The sensation made him tingle with a joyous feeling and his heart race faster than ever before.

The moon was now high in the night sky and the stars shone brightly above the whole town, illuminating the darkness that was around them. But in these troubled times, a small light shone for Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake, a small light that would be the key to saving the world they lived in and the catalyst to bring about a great change in the entirety of the entwined fates of all humans and non-humans.

This chapter is done. R&R people and I hope you enjoyed it. From here on, things might take a slight mushy turn and there could be a lot of FLUFF! But still, I hope you read on and continue to like this story. I will do my best to keep it updated and fun.

Raruku out~


	4. Chapter 4: Slap, Slap, Kiss

Dungeons and Dragons is fun… especially when there's nothing else to do! Go play the game and have fun, I know I do.

Chapter IV: Slap, Slap, Kiss

* * *

Jack was in his office that fine morning, sitting at his desk to be exact. Yes, sitting there, but not doing anything important but rather thinking about the events of the previous night. As the recent memory came back to him, so did the sensation he felt. The warm pressing of Ridley's lips against his, the racing of his heart and his mind going totally blank for the few seconds that it lasted. Thinking back on it, he was shocked. It was so sudden, so unexpected that he didn't believe that it happened. Jack knew Ridley as a strong and fierce woman, one who would not waver to anyone and he couldn't imagine her doing what she did. It was hard for him to swallow the fact… really hard.

There was a knock on the door and Jack was brought out from his sea of thoughts. "Come in." he said and the door propped open slowly and in walked Thanos.

"Morning, chief. I brought the morning paperwork for ya." Thanos approached the desk and placed down a bundle of documents. "Thanks." Jack said, his tone devoid of concern for Thanos.

Turning around, Thanos made for the door but before leaving the room, looked over his shoulder at his boss. "Jack." he called his name. "You seem out of it. Take care, ok?" with that, he left the room.

Sifting through the papers, Jack individually looked at all the requests that were there. All of them were mostly from the castle and only a few from the townsfolk. Taking his feather pen, he planted his signature and remarks on them. After a short while of signing, he piled them up on his desk and stood up to stretch his back. Finally done with all the work, he walked out of his room but not before taking a glance at the clock. It was now around noon and his stomach was already grumbling.

Jack made his way and arrived at the small diner just behind the guild building and as he entered, was greeted by the many warriors that were usually at the place. He was even greeted by the goggle-wearing Dimitri. Walking up to the second floor, Jack ordered his food and once finished, left the diner and went to his room.

The day was quite uneventful and as Jack knew, everyday would be like this from now on. Sure there was the war between them and the non-humans but there hasn't been any movement from either side. Flopping onto his bed, he lay flat on his back and used both his palms as cushions for his head. Staring up at nothing but the ceiling, he let out a small sigh.

'_I wonder what Ridley's doing…?' _Jack thought. His eyes grew heavy and wanted to make him fall into slumber. It was still just the middle of the day and so resisting his urge, he stayed awake. Up above him, Jack could hear the constant stream of steps that were made on the bridge that he was living under. Funny, he thought, that although he was now the chief of the guild that he still had to live in this tiny and cramped little room under the bridge. But even though it was like that, Jack grew accustomed to it and it sort of grew on him.

POUND! There was a sudden hit on the door. POUND, POUND, POUND! Three more hits were heard. "What the hell?" Jack stood from his bed and walked to the door. Placing his hand on the handle, he opened it slowly and peered through the small crack.

Opening the door fully, Jack came face to face with the old red nose of the castle, the royal chamberlain, Lord Jasne Colton, Ridley's doting father. Looking down at him, Jack could see a massive amount of rage welling up inside the fat little man. Gritting his teeth, he shoved Jack into the room and forced his way in. Falling flat on his ass, Jack wondered what could have provoked the man.

"What have you done to my Ridley!" he yelled at him, demanding an answer. "What? I haven't done anything to her." Jack answered back. "Liar! You've done something, I know it!" he shouted at him.

Walking closer, Jasne took his walking stick and shoved it into Jack's gut. "Tell me, what have you done with my daughter!" Jack curled up in pain. "W-what are you talking about!" he struggled to talk while bearing the pain.

"Don't play coy with me, you scoundrel!" Jasne kicked Jack's side. "She's been crying since last night, never stopping. She hasn't left her room, won't talk to anyone and won't even have a bite to eat! What have you done to my precious daughter!" Jasne moved closer and gripped the collar of Jack's tunic, brining him closer to his face. "Tell me, now!"

"Ridley's… crying. *cough*" Jack coughed up. "Yes, she is! And all she's been repeating is your stupid name! Now, tell me before I have you executed!" Jasne shook him repeatedly.

Jack raised his hands and placed them on his attacker and pried them from their grip on his collar. Stumbling backward and crashing into the wall, Jasne's anger grew with Jack's sudden resistance to his actions. Reaching for his stick which landed just in front of him, Jack stepped on it to stop him from picking it up. Looking at the wide open door, Jack ran out. Jack them made his way to his office. Once there, he tossed around the paperwork he had done. At the very bottom of the pile, Jack found what he had been looking for and without a care about the clutter in the room, rushed out once again and this time, made his way to the looming figure that was Radiata Castle.

Arriving at the gate, Jack was stopped by the guard. Tired from running, Jack caught his breath and presented a piece of paper to the guard.

"Oh, guild business, eh? You can pass." the guard let him through and Jack started off into a dash.

Finding his way through the familiar hallways and stairs, Jack was fast and swift in his navigating in the castle.

Third floor. This was where Jack was now. He stood there silent and still, looking at the door in front of him, the familiar door that was where his quarry lay. Reaching a hand out, Jack wanted to knock on the door but pulled back at the last second. What would this merit him? What would seeing Ridley at this moment bring? Jack felt a sudden rush in him as his heart pumped double time and his chest tightened with every breath. A cold sweat rolled down on him and a fear of something welled up inside of him. His mouth became dry and his thoughts about what to do became hazed with a strange mist that clouded all sense of logic.

"*sob* Why am I like this…?" a faint sound came from the room he was standing before. "*sniff* That blockhead!" more nearly inaudible sounds came.

Now with only one thought in his mind, Jack burst through the door and there curled up in a ball on the floor was Ridley, her head buried in her arms as she cried into the sheets on her bed.

Not taking mind of who just entered Ridley did not look back. "Go away. I don't want to be disturbed right now." Jack stood still.

Ridley continued to sob a bit more. Jack moved forward as she did. "I said go away!" she said again. Jack moved closer, slowly.

"What part of go away don't you get!" Ridley quickly stood with her fist raised and flinging it towards Jack. Jack caught t he fist with his hand and stopped her. Her eyes were still closed but Jack could see that she had been crying for quite some time.

"Let go of me!" Ridley struggled to free herself but all her strength was gone. She was dehydrated from all her crying and felt a bit faint.

"…" Jack remained silent, unsure with what to say and do. "RIDLEY!" Jack shouted. Ridley's eyes popped open at the voice that called her name.

"JACK!" Jack let go of her hand. "W-w-what! Get out of my room!" she demanded. Jack shook his head. "No. I was worried about you." he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"…" Ridley was silent. "What's wrong?" Jack asked to her. "…" she remained silent. "Ridley. You have to tell me or I won't know what to do."

"You dumbass!" Ridley slapped him in the face. "What do you think is wrong! Why do you think I've been crying the whole damn night!" she was yelling at the top of her lungs. Luckily, the door was shut and no one could hear all the noise she was making.

"Did you have some bad salad or something?" Jack asked. "You idiot!" another slap landed on his other cheek. "You are so oblivious!"

"Would you stop slapping me? It hurts, you know." he rubbed both his cheeks. "It hurts? Good! Cause you have no idea how it hurts for me."

"It hurts somewhere? We gotta get you to the infirmary!" Jack went for the door. "You slow bastard!"

Ridley grabbed Jack by the wrist and forced him to face her. Quickly, she locked lips with him in another sudden kiss. Pulling back from it, Ridley looked at him with fury.

"Now do you get it!" she asked. "Ok, you have got to stop doing that. I'm not your boyfriend or anything, you know." Ridley growled at his words. "SHUT UP!"

Jack was stunned at her yell. "Why, Jack? Why can't you notice!" she dropped down onto the floor. "Notice what! I have no idea what you're talking about! What's gotten into you!"

She looked up at his face. "I love you, Jack!" she blurted it out. "I love you! Why is it that you can't see that!" Ridley began to cry again.

Her words pierced through Jack and caused him to remain still. Then he realized everything. Why she had suddenly kissed her, why she was crying and why he deserved to get slapped in the face. Actually, he deserved more than just a damn slap! He was hurting her with his actions, with his stupid and un-noticing nature. He had completely no idea that Ridley felt this way for him. Jack recalled a familiar feeling that hit him when they were at the Resan Tree.

"I… I don't know what to say…" Jack said in a low tone. "I'm sorry." Jack knelt down and embraced her. "I'm hurting you, aren't I?" he said. "I'm so sorry…"

Ridley cried harder than before. "Jack! Jack! Jack!" she called out his name more and more. "Shhh… I'm here now. stop crying." he stroked her head gently. "I promise I'll always be here." he assured her.

Wiping away her tears with her cuffs, Ridley looked into Jack's brown eyes that gleamed with a welcoming and warm glow. Slowly, she leaned forward with her eyes closed. Jack now knew what to do and moved in as well, his eyes closed like hers. His hands dropped down to hold hers and the two shared a passionate kiss, this time, Jack knew how she felt and returned her feelings in this one action, this expression of his adoration and love for her.

It was short but seemed to last forever and after it, both of them blushed so heavily that they couldn't stop smiling.

"Jack… I love you." she said with a smile. "I love you, too." he said. "Thanks for helping me notice it." he added. "You were always so dense, you know." she chuckled.

"You know, you're dad came to my room earlier." he told her about Jasne's little spat with him. "He really does care for you."

"Then I guess you have to deal with him more from now on." she said as she looked at the painting on her wall. "You have to tell him yourself, Jack."

"I guess so. We'll be together from now on." Jack reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Yeah." she rested her head on his shoulder. "You and me… forever."

Outside the door, Mise and Lena sticked their ears close enough to hear what was going on inside. Apparently, the two were eavesdropping on the whole thing.

"You hear that, Lena? That Jack guy's in love with the captain!" he kept his voice low. "This might get interesting from now on." said Lena with a mischievous tone.

Running off down the corridors, the two left the scene.

"I guess I have to wait here until your father comes by." Jack sat himself on her bed. "Don't worry, Jack. I'll be here to help."

Jasne walked into the castle with a slight limp in his strides. "Annoying little kid. I'm going to get him!" he said to himself as he approached the stairs. "I need to check on Ridley…"

Only in a matter of minutes, Jack would meet again with Ridley's father and tell him everything about how he felt about her. Surely, this event will not end in a peaceful manner.

* * *

Done, done and done! I'm sorry if this chapter took long to upload. Here's my reason:

We have this J-pop/J-rock constest, J stands for Japanese, and well, we decided to join. So, instead of uploading, I've been practicing with my band. The theme is anime songs so we covered some songs from the anime K-ON!. And as you might know now, I play the drums. Please forgive me for the wait but I couldn't turn my back on my band!

Anyway, hope you keep reading. R&R and stay cool, people!

Raruku out~


	5. Chapter 5: Legends and Pet Names

Here's the new chapter. Enjoy another one of the fruits of my bored life… hehe.

* * *

Chapter V: Legends and Pet Names

The door to Ridley's room slammed open and startled the two as they laid eyes on a furious looking Jasne Colton. Looking at his daughter, Jasne found Jack beside her as they both sat on her bed. Becoming more steamed than he already was, he barged in with long and hard strides, his presence giving off a menacing feeling. Walking up to Jack, he pulled on his tunic and threw him onto the floor. Quickly getting up, Jack managed to get himself ready for anything Jasne could throw at him. Gritting his teeth, Jasne lunged at Jack with his stick, ready to bash the annoyance in the head. Already propped for the attack, Jack made his move and caught his assailant's wrist. Prying the stick from Jasne's grip, he threw it onto the floor and mustering a bit of strength in his non-dominant hand, he gave Jasne a blow to the jaw, sending old-red nose flying then landing with a hard thud in front of him.

"I LOVE YOUR DAUGHTER!" Jack shouted as he dropped onto his knees, lowering his head and then assuming a bow. "Please… forgive me."

Jasne was shocked. Just a few seconds ago, he was punched and now here was the object of his anger begging at his feet. But the words uttered, the words that he wanted to hear from no one, had been said to him. A man declaring love for his daughter had appeared, a man that had not been chosen by him. Cross was Ridley's fiancé but after the events that transpired at the Gold Dragon Castle, he was nothing more than a pile of ashes.

"Shut it, you little twit! You'll never have my daughter and I'll make sure you never see the light of day again." he raised his fist in declaration.

Ridley got off her bed and crouched down in front of her father, her head drooping. "Ah, yes, help me up Ridley." he said to her. But there was no helping hand offered to him… only a powerful slap that connected with his face. He was shocked once more.

"Why? Why did you do that, my child?" Jasne's eyes widened with Ridley's sudden action. "Father… who are you trying to please, huh!" there were tears in her eyes as she looked at her father.

"All my life, you've been deciding everything, leaving me without a choice. For the first time in my entire life, I feel sure about something and I made a choice to pursue it." she went on.

"The Transpiritation brought about a change in my fate and now I'm here, alive and well. And what do you do? You coerced Lord Larks into giving me a brigade of my own." Ridley pounded the floor with her fist.

"I've been putting up with you, father. I've endured all your unwanted decisions." she pounded again. "But this, I can't stand! I won't allow you to take Jack from me. Not ever!"

"What do you see in the boy? He's nothing but a nuisance! Why, he's the reason why you needed that elf ritual in the first place!" Ridley shook her head. "No father. That was my own mistake. And for your own information, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Jack."

Jack was still begging on the floor. He was hearing everything Ridley was saying to her father.

"B-b-but Ridley, he attacked me!" Jasne protested at Jack's actions. "He was only defending himself. Anyone would do that."

"Please! I beg of you!" Jack said from his position. Jasne stood himself up and walked over to Jack. "You…" he glanced at Ridley. "…Do you really feel for my daughter?" he asked in a low tone, finally admitting defeat.

Jack straightened himself and nodded. "Yes. I truly do." Jasne seemed ashamed. "Listen… I only do what I do because I love her…" Jasne placed both hands on Jack's shoulders. "But I can see now that maybe I have been wrong all these years. Maybe you will be the first decision that I might not truly regret. So please…" Jasne quickly let go and bowed. "Take care of my daughter… or else." he finished with another remark which made Ridley give a slight growl. "Father…" she said. "Um, uh, sorry." Jasne composed himself again.

Picking up his stick, Jasne went for the door. "I'll be watching. Remember that." he walked out the door, closing it behind him as he left.

Ridley crawled over to Jack and rested her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry. He likes you in his own way." Jack scratched his head. "Well, glad that's over."

The night went on and it started to get late. Jack was going to leave but Ridley pulled him by the wrist and dragged him onto the bed. She insisted that Jack stay the night. Jack protested but Ridley won him over and he ended up sleeping beside her. Well, Ridley managed to sleep fine but Jack was kept awake by his own over-active imagination. But eventually, Jack finally dozed off into a peaceful slumber. When morning rolled in, Jack woke up to find Ridley already half-awake and staring at him with a very loving look.

"Morning, Jack." she said with sweetness. Jack was overcome with a trembling feeling at the sound of her voice. It was so different. "Ok. Hearing you sound so girly is freaking me out."

"Get used to it. I'll be doing it a lot when I'm with you." she giggled. "Really now." Jack planted a kiss on her lips. "Yup." she returned his kiss with one of her own.

"Well, I better get going now. There might be some papers for me to sign back at the guild." he said. "Oh. When can we see each other again?" asked Ridley. "You can always come visit me at my place." said Jack. "Okay? I really got to go now. See ya!"

Upon his return to the guild, Jack was greeted by a large mound of paperwork that had been left on his desk. But ever since he was named chief, he had gotten used to the normal everyday procedures and paperwork was no longer much of a problem to him although he still was sometimes lazy and liked to just spend the days doing nothing. But still, duty calls. So, doing his paperwork, Jack managed to finish it all up by lunchtime and went down to town to get some grub. Eating at the nearby diner and sitting at the usual seat, Jack was suddenly joined by Thanos. Jack was surprised at this since Thanos almost never left his seat and usually just ate lunch there.

"Hey boss. Got something here for you. It arrived just about when you left for lunch." Thanos handed Jack a letter. "Thanks. Hey, you want something to eat. I'm buying!" Thanos took the offer and nodded to Jack. A while later, Yuri came up to the second floor and took their orders. During the wait, Jack read his letter.

"Another mission? The castle must be really busy. I mean, why do they need me?" Jack wondered. "Beats me." said Thanos. "Probably cause you're the strongest guy in the whole town."

Jack chuckled. "Strongest? When did that happen?" he asked. "Dunno. If chief Elwen put you in charge then I guess you must be pretty good." Thanos smiled. "The chief always had an eye for those with potential, you know." Thanos took a sip from his cup. "And mind you, the chief herself was incredibly good. Even the bigwigs in the castle wouldn't dare go against her."

A while later, Jack and Thanos ate their fill and talked about what was going on deep in the guild. After all, it was Jack's job to find out if there was anything going on within his guild.

"Nothing much." Thanos downed another cup of wine. "There's been an increase in requests, though." he slammed his cup down and gave a sound of refreshment. "That really hit the spot!"

"Yeah. There have been a lot of new jobs. But hey, that means were getting more popular." Jack smiled. "Got that right, chief. Ever since the Void incident, our reputation went down a bit."

When lunch was done, Thanos left first and returned to his desk. After all, he was the receptionist and if he wasn't there, who the hell would assign jobs? As for Jack, he went to wander the town. It hasn't been too long since he returned and ever since then, a lot of stuff has happened. He was made the leader of Theater Vancoor. It's quite a big job to handle for anyone at Jack's level and age but if Elwen chose him then it meant that there was meaning in him being given the position.

Finding himself wandering around the Olacion Order Church, Jack decided to step in for a spell and greet Kain, the Olacion High Priest. Walking down the corridors, Jack was greeted by familiar faces. Godwin, Miranda, Achilles and even Fernando, his friends who he painstakingly had to make. He even recalled how he had to fight Fernando, how he ran into Miranda every time he was tired and how Achilles trained him, pitting him against Alvin, Vitas and Miranda. Those were the times…

Entering the main hall, he found Kain finishing up his sermon for the day. The serious look in Kain's eyes melted away as he spotted the brown-eyed boy.

"Well, if it isn't Jack. I hear you have become a guild leader, correct?" Kain smiled. "Yup. I'm the big boss now!" Jack exalted himself. "Hahaha. Just as full of energy as ever." Kain laughed. "Come with me to my room."

Kain's room was not all that big, rather it was fitting for a man like him. In fact, it looked a little too plain for a High Priest's room. Then again, Jack did live under a bridge and despite his position, was still living in the same dump. Suppose beggars can't be choosers.

"As guild leader, I suppose you know of your responsibilities?" Jack nodded back at Kain. "Good. The balance of power must be maintained. We can't have any one guild becoming too powerful."

"So Kain, why did you ask me to come here?" Jack asked. "A while back, I received this from a friend of mine… Elwen." Jack's eyes grew wide as he heard the name. "The chief!" Kain grew silent.

"… Yes. She came here before she left. She said to give you this." Kain rummaged through a large chest until he brought out an item wrapped in cloth. "She said that you deserve to use this." Kain presented it to Jack.

Removing the cloth from it, a bright light shone out from the revealed portion. Squinting his eyes to continue, Jack brought out the full item and held it high to gaze upon.

"The Avcoor." Jack said. "Yes, the holy sword of legend." Kain said. "It is said the holy sword Falvern still exists somewhere. Legend has it that there is a third sword, the legendary sword of time."

"The sword of time?" Jack wondered, his interest being poked at. "Yes. Only he who masters both swords can find the final, true sword. Perhaps you, Jack Russell, will be the key to it."

After some more talk and reminiscing, Jack bid Kain goodbye and returned home. As he walked back, the moon was already rising into place and the red glow within the clouds slowly died down to embrace the deep blue night sky. Walking back, the thoughts about Kain's words came to his mind. What was Kain talking about? Why did Elwen leave the Avcoor with him? All these questions were swimming in the sea of Jack's thoughts.

Getting home, he dropped down his shoulders and let out a large sigh. "Huuuh…" he let it out. "These days are getting hectic." pushing the door open, Jack was surprised by the presence of someone else in his room. His eyes grew from their current drowsy state to fully open.

"RIDLEY!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing in my room!" Ridley looked around the room before bringing her notice to Jack. "Your room is still as messy as ever." Ridley pointed to a pile of clothes on the bed, on the floor and surprisingly, in various other places they weren't supposed to be.

"This place seriously needs a woman's touch." said Ridley. "What do you mean? It's nice and cozy in here." Ridley face palmed. "You only say that cause you live alone."

"Well then, what do you propose we do? Go do the laundry?" Jack asked in a joking manner. "Well, honey, we have to get this place cleaned up." Ridley was dead serious.

"Did you just call me a pet name?" Jack wondered. "It was sarcasm, idiot." Ridley laughed. "Aw… and I thought I would get to call you something cute, too." Ridley blushed at Jack's reaction and words. "R-really? Y-you wanna call me by a name?" she asked, she was actually excited to hear what Jack would call her. "I dunno. Maybe… sweetie?" Ridley felt a shiver go down then back up her spine. Not a shiver of fear but that of sheer delight and giddiness. She wanted to roll around the floor and bask in the moment.

"Hello? Earth to Ridley?" Jack waved his hand in front of her face when he noticed sparkles flashing about Ridley's eyes. "Huh? Oh, um, yeah."

"How do we do that, princess perfect? You aren't exactly the type to have been taught how to hold a broom." Ridley was hit by an invisible arrow. Jack was right. All her life, Ridley was never a normal little girl. Others were outside playing about and doing nearly anything they wanted but she was locked inside a world where strength and etiquette mattered, a world where she was trained to become a better knight, one that would live up to the Silverlake family name. Holding brooms, cleaning, washing the dishes, doing the laundry and any form of housework was something that eluded her, something that she had never done. But now that Jack had clearly pointed out that single fact, she felt depressed.

Back then, Ridley remembered on how she commented on Jack's behaviour and his words. About making forts and playing about, Ridley ridiculed and razzed Jack about them all but now she could see how wrong she was. Jack had a completely normal childhood and grew up to be a fine man, one with dreams of glory and success and that's what made Jack so great. But as for her, there was no need for dreams… only proven achievements, recognition and trophies that bore her name. She had never wanted anything in her life, she had never dreamt of rising up the ranks and becoming a popular figure, she was provided for and everything was it her beck and call.

Thinking upon it all, a tear trickled down her cheek. Biting her lip as it trembled; she clenched her fists and turned away from Jack. "I'm sorry…" she sobbed slowly.

"Ridley… I… I didn't mean it like that." Jack thought back to his words. It was a bit harsh to say that to her. "You know me, I'm a bit too tactless." he held back a small chuckle.

"No… it's not because of you." she said in a low tone. "It's because of me…" her voice trailed off. "It's just that when I think about it, you've always been doing those sorts of things."

"You've had a completely normal life but me…" she stopped short and turned to Jack. "Look at me! I'm a shut in. I don't even know how to act… I'm always just aiming for the top. But you, Jack, you just seem to breeze through it all with that attitude of yours, your hopes and dreams pushing you forward."

"Ridley… do you wanna sit down and talk about this?" he pointed to his bed. "Sure… I'd like that." the two sat down on Jack's slightly small bed and started again.

"I didn't have dreams like you…" she said as more tears flowed out from her eyes. "Dreams are good, Ridley." said Jack. "But something else is far more important to me right now." he looked at her with his bright brown eyes. Ridley looked back as she wiped the tears with the cuff of her shirt. She looked back into his eyes, the pair eyes that were always watching her, the pair of eyes that would continue to watch her.

"You're more important than my dreams, Ridley." Jack put his around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Or I could say that you're part of my dreams now." he smiled.

"Honey…" Ridley said it on impulse. "H-hey! Stop that. It's kinda embarrassing…" Jack scratched his head. "Well then, get back at me." Ridley said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sweetie…?" Jack said, ashamed with himself. "No, not like that." Ridley forced Jack to face her. "Say it like you mean it." Ridley looked into his eyes longingly.

Jack could see her want as he looked back. "Sweetie…" said Jack in a hushed tone. "Come on, it's just you and me. Please?" Jack bit his lip. "Sweetie!" Jack finally said without a hint of hesitation.

Ridley smiled at him and planted a kiss on his lips. "I love you, honey!" she said as she blushed more. "I love you too, sweetie!" replied Jack as he pulled her into another kiss, this one overflowing with his undying and strong love for the girl before him. Feeling the weight of Jack's emotions, Ridley let herself go and get lost in the moment.

Ridley decided to sleep over because night had already fallen and well, she already sneaked out of the castle just to see Jack. Things got a little to dramatic and the two ended up talking about themselves but the night went on with them smiling and laughing.

When morning had come, Jack got up with a kick start and started stretching outside of his room. Ridley woke up a few moments after him and opened the door to find Jack exercising. Her pig-tails were undone and the morning sun made her look incredibly radiant and beautiful. Jack couldn't help himself and kissed her.

"Hey. I just got up." she blushed. "But now I got this pain in my back…" she reached back and stretched. "Sharing that little bed was a bad idea."

A thought came to mind and Jack immediately said it. "Come to think of it, why did you come here anyway?" he asked. "Oh, I completely forgot about it!" Ridley blurted it out in response.

"I came to tell you that I was moving out of the castle." she said. Jack's jaw dropped at her statement. "WHAT!" he placed both his hands on his head. "Where will you sleep? You can't possibly live with me! It's too cramped here as it is."

Ridley chuckled at his reaction. "No, silly. I'm not living with you." she turned around to hide the huge smile on her face. "I bought a house!" she exclaimed.

"Wow. I'm guessing you get paid that much, huh?" said Jack. "Well, at least you get a bigger place to stay in. I have to put up with this tiny little hovel!" Jack kicked a can that was near him.

"That's not really what I wanted to tell you, Jack." Jack tilted his head to the side in wonder. "Then what is it? You wanna make me feel even worse about this little hole under a bridge?"

Ridley walked over to him and whispered in his ear." YOU WANT ME TO MOVE IN WITH YOU!" Jack jumped in his place. "Yeah, I do. I bought the house for me and you." she said.

"Really!" Jack pointed to himself. "Yup. It's right here in the Yellow Town so it's close to the castle and near where you work. Convenient, huh?" Ridley smiled.

"This will be the start of a new life for us, Jack." Ridley placed her hand into Jack's. "Right! Let's face it head on!" Jack raised his fist into the air.

From above the bridge, Jack and Ridley didn't notice the figures who were watching them, a teenage boy and girl who were keenly observing them.

"Check it out Lena! Those two are really lovey-dovey." snickered the boy. "Shut it! If the captain finds us up here it won't end nicely for us, Mise. But hey, those two are meant for each other."

The sun was high in the sky and the towns of Radiata came alive with the daily routines of the people living in it. Now our heroes take the next step and move forward into the future. But what of the legendary sword Avcoor that Jack had acquired and what of the legend that Kain had told to Jack? What did this mean and what would this hold for both of them, no one knew.

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This chapter is in the bag! Damn, I never expected it to get this long. It's like super long and filled with mush, eh? But hey, you asked for it. But maybe from this point on it might take the action twist. I already revealed another plot up there so expect some action in the later chappies. R&R and keep reading, thanks for your support and admiration. Your reviews really pepped me up to write more!

Raruku out~


	6. Chapter 6: Unproductive Mission

I'm so friggin excited! It's nearing October and my city's Cosplay Summit is nearing! Kewl~

Chapter VI: Unproductive Mission

"Good morning honey!" said Ridley as Jack walked through the bedroom door. He had that stupid look about him, as always. Scratching his back while slouched; he walked over to the dining table where a fresh cup of coffee was already waiting for him.

"I have to run to the castle early today, okay hon?" she said. "No problem. There ain't much happening at the guild right now, anyway." Jack took a sip from his coffee.

The coffee went straight into effect and the grogginess he felt immediately vanished, his drowsiness gone with the wind. He felt his energy coming back to him, he felt like today would be a good day.

Suddenly, the pitter-patter of feet could be heard, a running sound was approaching. A small figure clutching a stuffed bear then approached Jack. Tugging on his pajamas, the child looked up to him with bright eyes and a smile.

"Daddy!" the girl happily called him. "Are you going to pway with me today?" she asked. Jack smiled happily in return and nodded his head. "Yup. Lumina and daddy are gonna have lots of fun!"

Looking over her shoulder, Ridley smiled as well. Finishing up what she was cooking, she placed the bacon on a clean plate and walked over to the table. Lumina turned her gaze to Ridley.

"Mooommyy!" Lumina ran over to her mother and buried her face deep in the purple apron Ridley was wearing. "Daddy and me are gonna pway! Are you gonna pway with us, too?" asked the very hyper child.

"Maybe later after work. Is that ok?" Ridley pinched her daughter's cheeks. "Okay! I wants to pway with both of you, but I can wait. Lumina is a good girl!" she smiled widely. Jack reached over and patted his child on the head. Looking at Ridley, he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I love you, sweetie. I love you, too, Lumie~"

A large thud was heard as Jack Russell fell from his bed. Being still groggy, the sensation of pain that he was supposed to feel wasn't as strong as it should have been. He nearly felt numb even though he fell out of bed. Walking out his room, he arrived at a familiar kitchen.

"It was all a dream…?" he said to himself as he yawned, his mouth opening wide. From behind him, a pair of steel clanging sounds came closer. Turning around, he found Ridley fully adorned in her knight armour.

"Oh, you're up." she said as she walked over to the fridge. She pulled out a plate full of pancakes. "Here, I made these for you." she said as she placed the plate on the table.

"Wow! I'm starved!" Jack jumped at the sight of them and proceeded to devour his breakfast. Ridley chuckled. "We've been living here for three days and you still have the same reaction."

Jack stuffed another fork impaled with pancakes into his mouth and nodded. "It just feels great to be in a bigger place! Plus I have you here." he said as he went for more.

"But hurry up, ok? We have a mission today." Jack took a sip from some juice that was put there by Ridley as well. "Oh, I remember now. It's that one I saw a few days back."

"Yeah. Well, I'll be back in a bit, ok? I just need to go get Lena and Mise." said Ridley and she made for the door. "Ok. I'll be ready when you get back. Let's meet at Lupus Gate."

With a nod to confirm, Ridley vanished through the door and left for the nearby castle. Jack finished up his breakfast and took a bath. After drying up, Jack got dressed and walked over to a large chest that was in the corner of his and Ridley's room. Opening it, he gazed down at his prized armour: the Valiant Mail.

He recalled venturing forth with his allies into a strange world where everything was twisted, a strange world where he even reunited with his long gone father. There, he fought more than just monsters; he fought angels who if left alone, would destroy the world. It was this armour that was one of his prizes, this armour was the stuff if legends. Picking up the helmet, he wiped it with a piece of cloth and placed it on the bedside table. Reaching down once gain, he brought out the rest of it and began to don it slowly.

Walking down the streets, the people shot looks at Jack. His marvellous armour caught their attention and aside from that, he was already quite well known as the leader of Theater Vancoor. Some looked up to him and admired him as the guiding light of all the warriors. Reaching the guild, Thanos' eyes lit up as he saw his boss clad in such a fashion.

"Woah! You look like you're going to war or something." said Thanos as he presented a piece of paper to Jack. "I just thought that I should dress for the occasion." the only thing that could be seen was Jack's smile as the rest of his face was hidden by the helmet. After signing the paper, Jack turned around and left through the door. Walking over to Lupus Gate, Dennis passed him by and waved to him.

"Good morning, chief." he said. "Fresh flowers for Alicia and the squad room, eh?" Jack looked at the beautiful set that Dennis had picked up. With that, Dennis proceeded towards the guild.

A few moments later, Jack caught a glimpse of Ridley's armour approaching. Taking off his helmet, he waved with his free hand. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Wow. When did you get that piece of armour?" she asked as she admired the brilliance of it. The two recruits did as well. "Just one of my trophies from a previous little excursion."

"Today's mission is to head to Borgandazio. It seems like the Blood Orcs are becoming more active. We need to investigate the matter." Ridley explained. "Now, you two be very careful when dealing with Blood Orcs." she looked to both her recruits.

"Don't worry. I'll be here with you guys all the way!" Jack reassured them and donned his helmet once again.

Leaving through the gate, the group were now well on their way to Borgandazio. "What could Galvados be up to now?" Ridley asked Jack. "Beats me." he answered. As far as he could remember, they were in the battle with Aphelion together. If they knew one thing that it was Galvados wasn't as bad as he seemed. Sure, he was a bloodthirsty maniac who didn't speak in grammatically correct sentences but he sure as hell would never be smart enough to take action against the humans.

"Hey!" Mise walked up to Jack and kept up with his pace. "What's it like being the leader of a guild?" he asked. Jack took a while to reply though. "Hmm… it's tiring." said Jack. "There's all this paperwork now and then. You have to know your members. So to say, it's a pretty hard job."

Lena appeared beside Mise and looked to Jack as well. "I heard that there was a little mishap back then. The warrior guild really lost some reputation at that point, they say."

Jack thought back on the whole Void incident. That really was a major blow to the guild's reputation. He even remembered how Nocturne used him to get to Gerald. But thanks to that event, he found out more about the Deputy Chief. It was a very tragic tale of friendship and separation, of friends who walked on the same path yet ended up in the same place.

"Yeah. That incident really put us on the spot. To think that we let a V.I.P get kidnapped…" he sighed as he finished.

The journey continued for them, filled with stories about Jack's exploits through the lands ahead and his accomplishments in the guild.

Jarvis was wobbling about in the Hecton Squad's room, a bottle of wine finely in his grasp. Even though it was still early in the day, he managed to snag a drink from somewhere. Falling on his ass, he laid his back against the wall and fell fast asleep. His loud snoring echoed throughout the quaint little room.

Daniel carried a box with him as he made his way down into the guild. Brining with him some newly acquired paint, he thought that he could ask help from Sergeant Jarvis so that they could redecorate the room. Upon entering, Daniel was dismayed at seeing his that his squad leader had already dozed off. Placing aside the box filled with assorted cans of paint, he sighed.

"Why does this always happen when I need help?" Daniel said to himself.

Things had been going slow for Hecton, as of present. There weren't that many jobs getting assigned to them and Daniel wasn't much for doing quests on his own. He only ever did quests when he needed to buy food for Isabella.

"Uhh…" Daniel sighed again. "I hate Mondays."

Looking down into the large hole that stretched a fair distance both across and going downwards, Jack, Ridley, Mise and Lena had arrived at Borgandazio. There was a foul smell that lingered in the air, the smell of those filthy Blood Orcs and their lack for hygiene. All of them walked over to the ledge where the rope leading down into the place was. One by one, they climbed down. Making their way through the many twists and turns and a few more or so ropes, they all finally arrived at the bottom. A sound of clanging metal could be heard from just outside of the cave where they were. Walking towards the sound, they encountered Galvados who was bashing a piece of metal.

"Me no like this shield!" Galvados roared as he smashed down on the object more. "Hello!" Jack shouted to overcome the sound that was louder than his own voice.

The large orc turned to face him with a puzzled look, letting his club fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ah, small boy." Galvados managed to smile even though in such a… strange manner. "Have seen you not in long time." said the hulking giant. He took notice of his predicament again and lazily picked up his club once more. "I be making new shield. Is good!" Galvados pointed at battered piece of metal he called shield.

Ridley stepped forward, seeing as that Jack was getting nowhere in talking with the big oaf. "Galvados." she called to her former ally. "We're here because we have been getting reports of Blood Orc activity." Ridley said. "Are you behind this?" she asked.

Galvados scratched his head in thought. "We like war, we live to fight. But me know nothing about anything now. Me stay here and make more shield."

Ridley sensed a certain honesty in Galvados' words. Fighting alongside him on the field of battle, Ridley learned to trust him, even if he was just a dumb orc.

Mise stepped forward, his mouth wide open with awe. "This is a Blood Orc! Neat~" he said joyously. Lena approached as well. "Cool! He's really huge!"

"Well, this is quite unexpected." a voice came from out of nowhere. "To find you here… how very odd."

Tracing the voice, Jack and Ridley looked up to find a flying elf, a very familiar one. His distinct shortness and green eyes, along with that accent in his voice, brought back memories of adventures with him. Along with that, his poetry was that of mystery.

"Gil!" said Jack enthusiastically. "Been quite some time." Gil landed beside in front of them. Mise and Lena however, were not happy at the sight. They drew their weapons instantly and assumed battle positions.

"Hey! It's a light elf! They're the enemy!" said Mise. Lena nodded. "Captain, we can't let him go." said Lena. With swift movement, Lena lunged forward. Gil readied his immaterial blade and blocked the attack, pushing away the weapon and making Lena fall to the ground.

"You're still too young and inexperienced to defeat me, girl." Gil said as his weapon vanished. Ridley rushed over to help up Lena. "Lena. You can't win against him. Plus, he's not an enemy."

"Yeah. Gil here is a light elf hero! He's really good. And, he's not a bad guy. He even helped us back then." said Jack, patting Gil on the back. This pushed Gil forward a little since he was without a doubt smaller than Jack. "Still the same old human, eh Jack?" Gil noticed that Jack was never without his smile. It was this quality of him that always piqued Gil's interest him. Out of all the humans Gil had met, aside from Cairn and Gawain, Jack was one of the few, along with Ridley, who did not care about racial boundaries. He accepted all as equals… although at times he just wants to prove he's stronger than the other guy.

"Hey, what are you doing here, Gil?" Jack asked. "We've been getting word that some Blood Orcs are running about causing problems." said Gil. "Tensions are high for both our sides, human and fairy creatures alike. We just want to avoid stepping over the line." he added.

"What a coincidence! We're here for the same thing." said Jack. The two turned to Galvados. Gil had a vindicating look in his eyes as he looked at the large orc. "You don't happen to have anything to do with this, do you?" he pointed at Galvados.

"Nup. I know nothing about this. I has been here all the time, watching over my people. No order for attack has been given." he said. Galvados smashed the ground with his large club. "I bash any who defy me." he said with anger.

"Hmm…" Gil scratched his chin in thought. "That's odd." Gil went silent for a bit. Jack looked at Ridley through his helmet and could see the worried look in her eyes. If Galvados wasn't behind the problem about the Blood Orcs, then who was? And as Gil said, tensions were high. If anything were to happen, it could cause another conflict between both sides. Fort Helencia was still under light elf control but aggressive behaviour ceased when Jack and Ridley returned from the Gold Dragon Castle. And Lord Zane was smart enough to know that loosing all the dragons was already a handicap. If Lord Zane didn't play his cards right, he would end up losing.

"I need to return to the fort." said Gil. "Lord Zane must know about this." he looked one more time to both Ridley and Jack, and shot a glare at the kids before flying up into the sky and vanishing from view.

Jack let out a sigh and slumped. "What now? We didn't find out a thing about the Blood Orc issue." Ridley walked over to him. "Well, I guess this ends our mission. We've done what we can." she said. "Let's head back to the Radiata."

Night had fallen by the time all of them returned to Radiata. Lena and Mise was dragging their feet as they continued on, fatigued from the long journey back. Ridley did not approve of their actions but understood that they were pooped.

"Mise. Lena. knights should have more endurance and stamina. As of tomorrow, you will double the training program." she ordered as they neared the castle.

Mise and Lena's jaws dropped upon hearing Ridley's command. With their heads drooped down, they went into the castle. Ridley let them get ahead before following inside to give her report.

Jack took off his helmet and held it with both hands. He breathed in the fresh air and smiled. "Ah! It's really good to be back home." he said. Ridley blushed a bit and turned to face him. "Um, uh… I'll see you back home, in a while." she quickly kissed him on the cheek and ran into the castle after her recruits. Jack touched his cheek and smiled. "She's so cute when she blushes." he said to himself.

Looking up to the night sky, Jack couldn't help but feel uneasy at how things were going. He felt in his gut that there was something big going on, that in the near future, there would be another war. He felt that he would once again embark on another whirlwind adventure against an unknown foe.

But despite his pessimistic thoughts, he still smiled and countered them with thoughts of love and happiness. He looked forward to being with Ridley for his whole life and he looked forward to seeing the smile on her face when she got home later. With that in mind, Jack turned his back to the castle and left for their home knowing that no matter what was to happen, he and Ridley would come out fine.

Chapter done, in the bag, finished! I'm sorry for not being able to update last week. My excuse is that me and my band had to perform. We only practiced for 2 days and during the performance, as embarrassing as it is to say, my drumstick flew! Hehehe, luckily, I was able to catch up quick~

I wanna give a special thank you to all readers who read my fic, and to those who left those oh-so-wonderful reviews. I really appreciate the gesture! Remember, R&R! Well, the story is building up nicely, if I look at it, and who knows how many chapters it might span. But hey, not knowing is the fun part! I'll try my best to update quickly… I pray that there's no sudden band practice again!

Raruku out~


	7. Chapter 7: It Talks?

A/N: Nothing much to say here. Hmm… I'm getting addicted to the online game Aion. Hehe, I play too much. =p

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Chapter VII: It Talks!

A large explosion occurred in one of the Vareth Magic Institute classrooms/laboratories. Thick smoke leaked out through the bottom of the door, really thick, black smoke. Soon enough, the door opened and a blonde-haired girl stumbled through and fell to the ground, her eyes swirling. Her tongue was sticking out in a funny manner and she made cute little dizzy noises.

"Uhh…" a man's voice came from within the smoked room. Gripping onto the doorway for support, the man emerged from the room, his hand covering his mouth and nose. "That was impossible!" he exclaimed. "How can this be!" the man questioned himself, almost like a crazy person.

The girl on the floor soon came to her senses and looked up to the man behind her. She narrowed her eyes and began to crawl around, feeling around on the floor.

"My glasses…" she said as she moved about. "My glasses are gone."

The man behind her reached to her and stood her straight. He pulled down a pair of spectacles, the one the girl was apparently looking for. They were actually just on her head the whole time yet she forgot that they were even there.

"Oh, they were there!" she said. "Thank you, brother Genius." she said. "Leona…" Genius sighed. "When will you ever learn…" he sighed once more.

Genius Weissheit looked back at the smoky room and began to rub his chin as he went into his own train of thought. Leona tugged at her brother's robe and looked up to meet his gaze.

"Brother. Why did this happen?" asked Leona. "It's impossible!" Genius snapped back. "I calculated every detail, every single minute detail!" he began to go into a tirade. "I'm a genius!" Genius began to slap at the air in front of his face, swatting it away like pesky flies. "Why? Why? Why? Why?" he kept going on with his ravings until an old man wearing red robes came from the stairs just beside him.

"Confounded—what the hell was that explosion!" Curtis was slightly furious. "It's nothing. Just a minor impossibility." Genius replied, smug as ever. "The tools were to blame." said Genius. "The whole experiment was compromised because of the equipment. 'tis a sad day when intellect such as mine is subjected to the use of primitive instruments." Genius sounded so full of himself that Curtis was seriously thinking of smashing Genius on the head with his staff.

"Genius!" Curtis shouted. "You can't keep acting so arrogant. The equipment was not to blame, it was you." Curtis pointed a finger. "You and you're crazy ideas. You're running our funding dry!"

Genius wasn't listening though. He was locked in his own little world, thinking about why the whole thing blew up. _"I was so close…" _Genius thought to himself. _"If only it had gone right… that manuscript was such a waste…"_

"Genius!" Curtis banged the bottom of his staff on the floor as he tried to get Genius attention but unfortunately, Genius still was not paying any mind to him.

"_Holy sword… twin force…" _Genius tried to recall the things written on the manuscript he was working on. _"Angelus Errare…"_

Jack Russell squinted his eyes as he entered the world of the awake. Moaning and grumbling, he twisted around in bed for a bit. To his surprise, the bed seemed larger than it was and as he got up to look, he found that Ridley was no longer beside him. She was probably already at the castle. He recalled her saying that she was going to give Mise and Lena some training exercises.

Finally fighting off the urge to return to bed, Jack sat himself on the edge of his bed and yawned, his mouth open wide as he stretched his arms.

"Good morning, Master. Was your slumber peaceful?" a female voice came from out of nowhere. Jack leapt out of bed, scared. "What the! Ridley, is that you?" Jack scanned the room for any sign of where the voice might have come from.

"No, Master. I am not the one called Ridley." the voice spoke back to Jack. "Ok. This is getting creepy! Where are you! Who's talking to me!" Jack demanded that that whoever was talking to him show themselves. He was getting freaked at the disembodied voice that was speaking to him. Who wouldn't? I mean, seriously?

"I am here, Master." the voice said. "I am inside your chest."

Jack slowly crawled to his chest and opened it up carefully. Taking a peek from the small opening he made, he saw nothing inside of it. "Hello Master." Jack quickly released the top of the chest and scampered away like a scared little child.

"I am sorry if I have frightened you, Master. Please, I mean you no harm."

Jack cautiously walked back to the chest and held up the top. There was no one in the chest. All that was there was his armour and the Avcoor.

"Ok… where are you?" Jack asked. "Right here, Master. I am wrapped in this cloth." said the female voice.

Jack reached into the chest and brought out the Avcoor which he had wrapped in some cloth. Pulling the cloth away, the sword shone brighter than it ever did. After a few seconds of a major lightshow, the dancing rays died down and the Avcoor returned to its normal glow.

"Ah, thank you." the voice seemed to come from the sword Jack held. "The fresh air is truly wonderful to take in."

Jack's eyes grew wide. "Wait a second—a talking sword!" he exclaimed. "I-I'm not crazy!" Jack slapped himself in the face with great force. Realizing that the pain was real, he knew he could not be dreaming and seeing as that he was himself, he was not crazy. Believe it or not, there really was a talking sword in front of him.

"Uh, I'm not so sure that I understand what's going on here." Jack said in a flustered manner, looking around for any sign of any other abnormalities. "First of all, what are you? Wait, who are you?" Jack asked.

"I am the Avcoor." the sword replied. "As for what I am, I am a sentient sword." Avcoor added. "I was created long ago by a legendary blacksmith, the great Watts."

"If this guy's so great, how come I've never heard of him?" Jack raised a brow. "Master Watts lived aeons ago. All that knew him are already long gone from this world."

A thought popped into Jack's mind. "Wait, do you know anybody named Elwen?" Jack remembered that it was originally Elwen who wielded the Avcoor. "No. I do not know anybody of that name. I have awakened only just recently." replied Avcoor. "Aside from that, I sense that you are the one who was responsible for my awakening."

"What do you mean?" Jack wondered what the sword meant. "I awaken only when I am needed. None can wield me except those who have been chosen. Only those who I have chosen can hope to release my true power." explained Avcoor. "And this person, Elwen, is someone I have not chosen."

Continuing well into the night with his endless questions, Jack did not leave his room, except for lunch, and went on to talk to his sword. Apparently, the sword had seen many a battle and told Jack of things he wanted to hear, tales of heroes and their epic journeys, how the Avcoor had been the sword at their side throughout their tedious adventures, and how the sword had been passed down from generation to generation, from person to person. But, in the whole scheme of things, the Avcoor ever only awakened for so few.

Genius was caught in the web of his own thoughts as he returned to the Charnel beneath the city. Gazing upon the murals of the prophecy of how humans would fall to the dragons, he began to go over everything he had been researching these past few weeks. It had all started when he left Radiata to go on an expedition, an excavation trip with some of the Vareth elites. Their discoveries at first were nothing more than just some old mumbo-jumbo, a bunch of old scriptures and some ancient artifacts that didn't really mean anything. But after a week on the trip, they had uncovered an entire store house filled with every scholar's dream! References to the existence of the Philosopher's stone, a guide on how to achieve enlightenment, the principles of magic, all of them were gathered there in that olden temple that lay beneath the ground. But to the Genius, this was nothing. He did not care for Philosopher's stones or supreme power with his magic capabilities, all he wanted was to know the truth. So, as they dug deeper into the catacombs that lay beneath the temple, they came across murals that pictured another prophecy. Genius was shocked at first, thinking it was absurd.

In the murals, it was not six dragons but rather eight. Genius knew that there were not eight but only six, but the discoveries that followed changed his beliefs. Finally arriving at the final floor of the catacombs, they found an ancient library. At that instant, Genius went to work on all the books and his discoveries led him another dark path, he head learned too much. He had discovered that yet again, the world of Radiata, no, this time, the fate of the whole world was jeopardized.

"_**When the ancient elders of the scales fall to the hands of he who has been chosen…**_

_**The cogs of time shall begin to turn…**_

_**Behold, the fall of life, the apocalypse, the great cataclysm,**_

_**the calamity which shall descend from the heavens…**_

_**shall wreak forth and usher in the creation, the genesis!**_

_**Bare thee… the twin force…**_

_**Holy sword to pierce the shroud of darkess…**_

_**Deep into the void of time.**_

_**Fly now…**_

_**to the sanctuary of the gods…**_

_**to where wings shall burn and those who bore the wings become lost…**_

_**To 'Angelus Errare'"**_

Genius tried his best to remember every single part of the text. This prophecy was quite unclear but to him, he knew that it meant the end of all creation. But how? How would the destruction come? In legend and yet it was the truth, there were six dragons gods but this text stated eight. Who were the two other dragons? And who was this chosen one that it spoke of? The questions whirled in Genius head, one after another, each giving him a splitting headache. Why was humanity always dealt such a cruel hand? Why is it that everything must be erased, why must the land be cleansed? Gazing up at the murals again, Genius prayed that the answer would come to him.

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I AM SO SORRY! it took me this long to update and I knew very well that people were waiting, for that, I deeply apologize. It's just that i'm busy looking for a job right now and I had to patch things up with my girlfriend. But now, I think I have what it takes to continue writing. So please, keep on reading cause I promise to finish this fic. XD

Raruku out~


	8. Chapter 8: Towards Another Journey

A/N: Finally found a good job... as a writer, no less. -_- But hey, at least now I can use my noggin and continue to write. Sorry if I took so FRIGGIN' LONG to update... I promise to be a bit more regular now.

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**CHAPTER VIII : Towards Another Journey**

Jack awoke that morning to the fragrant scent of Ridley's blond hair beneath his nose. Locked in his tight embrace, there still lay the love of his life, still cradled in a peaceful slumber. Slowly, Jack got up from his side and gave her a small, gentle kiss on the cheek. Running his hand along her hair, he inhaled her sweet smell and smiled as the thought of spending the rest of his life like this occurred to him. Waking up next to her everyday, seeing her smiling face before he slept and woke up the next day was something he wanted forever.

"Good morning Ridley." he gently whispered into her ear.

Slowly, Ridley's eyes began to open up and she yawned a bit, covering her mouth with her hand. Jack then proceeded to kiss her cheek again, and nibble on her ear as she still lay half asleep. Ridley giggled at the sensation of her eat being chewed around in such a ticklish manner. She then placed her arms around Jack's neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Good morning Jack." she smiled as she greeted him.

After they had both bathed and gotten changed for the day, they went into kitchen to have some breakfast. Ridley was already well at work at the stove while Jack sat at the table, his chin resting on his hand as it supported it. He smiled as he watched his beloved Ridley from behind, her cute pink apron hugging her waist, and her hair held up in the usual twin pony-tails. Jack then took a bite out of the toast that was already laid at the table for him. He did not want to finish the whole thing without pairing them up with the eggs that Ridley was busy cooking. A few more moments passed until Ridley finally finished making egg omelets, the insides stuffed with cubed bits of cheese. Serving them onto the table, she removed her apron and took a plate and fork for herself. Hurriedly, Jack scooped up half of the egg and placed it on his plate, then proceeding to scoff down the rest of his toast as he ate it with his portion of omelet.

"Mmmmmm~" said Jack with a mouth full of food. "Yur getthing betther ath coothking." he said, trying to get the words out without having chewed-up food splatter all over the place. Ridley laughed a bit at Jack's comedic manner. "Oh Jack. Just eat slowly and don't talk with your mouth full." she said.

Jack gulped down a big portion of what was in his mouth, and then took a sip from the juice from the glass beside him. "But it tastes so good. I mean, you're skills still aren't near Sis' cooking but hey, they're getting there." he complimented her. Ridley smiled and took a bite out of her eggs, swallowing them in a very lady-like manner. "You talk about your sister a lot, don't you?" she said. "You must really be close." she added.

"Yep." he replied. "Me and Adele are really close... except when you get her pissed." said Jack. "She once chased me around with our practice swords the last time I ticked her off."

"Well then." said Ridley. "You better not tick me off because I'd chase you with an axe, Jack Russel." both of them laughed and then continued on to finish their breakfast. 

_- ALGANDARS CASTLE -_

The sound of clanking armor echoed along the walls as Elwen made her way through the deserted halls of Algandars Castle. Now that the Arch Demon had been sent back to the netherworld, it was almost completely safe to traverse the place alone. But just to be safe, Elwen kept a firm grip on the hilt of her sword. After reaching the large room where Jack once battled the Arch Demon and banished it, Elwen entered the center of the circle and began to read the ancient text written upon the stone tablet.

"I remember..." she ran her hand down the monolith. "But now it's time to seek the truth." she said. "[Elwen speaking in the ancient Elven tongue]".

A door opened at the other end of the room. Looking toward it, Elwen drew her sword and began walking with a brisk pace into the darkness of the door. 

_- THEATER VANCOOR, CHIEF'S OFFICE -_

Slowly unraveling the cloth that covered the Avcoor, Jack sat back in awe as he gazed at the wonder of the blade and its brilliant glow. Focusing on the eye of the sword that rested in the middle of the hilt, it suddenly opened and turned it's gaze directly into Jack's eyes.

"Good morning master. Thank you for removing the covers from me." said the Avcoor. "How is your day so far?" it asked. "Well," said Jack as he placed the sword onto the table. "It's good. Had a wonderful breakfast with Ridley." he said. "And I just finished approving all the jobs for the guild members." he added. "And so far, no duel requests from Ursula or anyone else." Jack looked satisfied with himself and had a smug look about him.

"All is well, I suppose, my master." commented the sentient sword. "Hold on a second there-" said Jack. "Could you not call me 'master'?" he requested. "I don't really like how it sounds. It makes me feel old."

"...Very well. If that is your wish, then so be it...-" the Avcoor couldn't finish it's sentence. "Jack. Just call me by my name." Jack finished for it. "Jack. Yes, from now on I shall address you as Jack." said the sword.

**BANG. BANG. BANG.**

Three loud sounds were heard from Jack's door. He then hurriedly picked up the cloth and covered the Avcoor with it. "Uh, come in!" he shouted. Slowly, the door opened and in came one of Jack's least favorite person: Al. With his usual stride and cocky attitude about him, he stood in front of Jack's desk and looked down on him as he sat there.

"Well, it's been quite some time since we saw each other, monkey brain." said the castle steward. "But let's disperse with the minor chit-chat. I'm here to ask that you report to the castle immediately."

"For what?" asked Jack. "I was not told why but you must hurry. You mustn't keep Lord Larks and Lord Jasne, not to mention the king, waiting." Al then proceeded to go behind Jack's chair and shove him up to get out of the office. "Come now. We shan't delay any longer." 

_- RADIATA CASTLE, CONFERENCE ROOM -_

There in the conference room were gathered all the heads of the four guilds of Radiata. Representing the Vareth Institute of Magic was Curtis. From the Olacion Order was Kain, and finally Ortoroz from the Void Community. Also present were Lord Larks, Prime Minister of Radiata and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Radiata Knights, High Chamberlain Lord Jasne Colton, and Ridley, head of the Argent Faucon squad that were now the best and leading knights within the kingdom. Jack sat beside her and looked around. Seated at the head of the table was King Jiorus, running his hand through his mustache as he contemplated on certain matters.

"You have all been asked to be here today to discuss certain matters." Lord Larks stood from his seat and began to address all the people within the room. "There are..." his voice wavered a bit. "Certain issues pertaining to all of life in Radiata." he said.

The door then burst open and in walked a glasses wearing man, speaking to himself as he went along. "I'm sorry for being late." he said. "I was finishing up some research."

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, master Genius." said Lord Larks. "It's not bother, really. I was merely finishing up my work on the Non-human energy resonance accumulation principle." said Genius. "Some important research that I could only get around to now since I was interrupted long ago." Genius gave a look of vindication at Jack who was just like the forgetful guy he was, probably forgot and didn't know what Genius was talking about. "Anyway, for the past few months, I have been journeying with a group of scientists from our institute. Curtis over there can vouch for the authenticity and purpose of this venture."

Curtis spoke not a word and just nodded. "Well, there you have it." said Genius after Curtis verified his claim. "The purpose for this was to excavate a newly found underground catacombs. And to our delight, we did find what we were searching for: a storehouse of knowledge that could revolutionize not only science, but give answers to the most complicated of questions." Genius started to pace around the room. "But while my colleagues enjoyed the fruits of their labor, I happened to stumble across an ancient manuscript that foretold..." Genius cut himself short. "... of impending disaster on our world!"

There was an instant reaction within the room, the guild leaders began to converse amongst themselves. Lord Larks stood and had to quell the unruliness. "Please calm down, everyone. Let Master Genius continue. Even I do not know what else he is going to say but I would most certainly like to fully understand it." said Salute Larks. Everyone nodded in agreement and the room was once again silent.

"Thank you, your lordship." a rare gesture from Genius but seeing that Larks was of a higher stature than him, he had no choice but to accede to Larks authority. "Are you all familiar with the Order of Totaus?" Genius asked. There was no response within the room. "The tower breaks the sky. Here come the dragons to bring it down." said Jack in a serious tone. "Ah, I see someone has been studying during his free time." Genius humored him. "But anyway, yes, that is part of it."

"When humans start to get ahead of themselves, they begin to upset the natural balance of the world. The four dragons that we all know about are the guardians of the elements and keep the Order of Totaus in check." explained Genius. "And once humans bring imbalance, the dragons come to destroy them and restore balance to Totaus... however, all dragons have already been slain." he said. Kain then began to speak. "If that is so, then there is no immediate threat. After all, you yourself said that there are no more dragons." Genius nodded in agreement. "That is correct, however... it is what I found in the catacombs that makes me uneasy even up to now." Genius paced the room again. "After much research, I found out that there were actually six dragons, the other two being the Gold and Silver dragons that oversee the all the other dragons. But for these two, only one of each dragon can be present within the world. And once every hundred years, these two switch places. One goes to sleep while the other remains awake as the guardian of the world. Once the switch happens... all of humanity must be cleansed." Genius stopped pacing the room. Jack became tense after hearing what Genius had to say. After all, he knew that Ridley was the vessel for Quasar but the Golden dragon died before it could merge with her. He also remembered that it was him that defeated Aphelion and stopped the switch.

"I..." Genius' voice wavered. "Have confirmed the existence of two more dragons!" 

- JACK AND RIDLEY'S HOUSE, BEDROOM - 

Many thoughts about the past meeting at the castle swirled in Jack's head. Ridley remained in the castle to do some preparations while he returned home to get some rest. What Genius said really struck him, and now, he wondered if there was any way to solve this. Going over to his chest, he pulled out the Avcoor and unraveled the cloth that covered it.

"Hey Avcoor. I have a question." he asked to the sentient sword. "What is it, Jack? My knowledge traces back to the most ancient of times. Ask me anything!" it said ecstatically. "I want to know... about the two other dragons."

The Avcoor stayed silent for a while. "..." nothing but silence. "Answer me!" Jack yelled at the sword, demanding his reply. "How do you know about such a thing. Humans aren't supposed to know of the existence of the supreme beings." said the Avcoor, the ecstatic tone gone and replaced with a one of seriousness. "It was at a meeting at the castle today. We found out about something that could destroy us all." said Jack. "I need to know... is there any way to stop this?" he asked.

"... If you really wish to know." said the sword. "Then you're going to have to leave Radiata and seek the answers for yourself." it said. "Leave? But I can't! Ridley is here... and all my friends. I need to stay and protect them in case anything happens."

"Ah... the vessel, that girl you are smitten with." it replied. "She is important, as well. You and her must go on a journey to seek the answers." added the sword. "I can tell you no more than this."

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Finally done! I'm back and i'm pleased to say that I will FINISH this story! Keep checking in for updates guys, I promise to keep on updating. Remember, please R&R so I can feel inspired and know that people want to read my stuff! Please and thank you, and once again, sorry if I took so long to give an update.


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